The State of Texas: Joaquin Castro's Senate run is "all but certain"

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [University of Houston: Learn more!]( [Texas Monthly]( March 18, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "Texas is renowned for its distinctive and delicious foods, and our state has put its brand on breakfast with a versatile item that is beloved from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande: the breakfast taco." —State Representative Stephanie Klick. The Fort Worth Republican authored a resolution to [designate the breakfast taco the official state breakfast item of Texas.]( If the resolution makes its way out of committee and is passed, the breakfast taco will join pecan pie and chili con carne as an official state food. THE LATEST [Joaquin Castro “All But Certain” to Challenge John Cornyn for U.S. Senate, Source Says ]( CARLOS SANCHEZ A Joaquin Castro candidacy instantly makes next year’s Senate race competitive, observers say. [Read more.]( THE TEXANIST The Texanist: How Do I Talk Politics With My Friends in West Texas? DAVID COURTNEY Q: I was born and raised in West Texas but have lived in the Northeast now for close to forty years. Over that time, my politics have shifted from right of center to left of center. I consider West Texas my home and enjoy occasional trips back for high school reunions and such, but due to the political winds blowing in such a different direction from where I live now, I’ve had second thoughts about returning. I am concerned that some of my friends, especially when lubricated with libations, might want to talk politics and I’d rather not. How can I most skillfully enjoy a visit with childhood and school friends without engaging on the subject? Name Withheld, Boston, Massachusetts A: Time was, you likely recall, when Texas was a very different place than it is today, politically speaking. The Democratic Party once [dominated here,]( but the last time more Texans voted for a Democratic presidential candidate than a Republican one was in 1976, when the Texanist was a ten-year-old and you were about to depart for northeastern climes. In the most recent presidential election, Texas voted Republican over Democrat by a near-double-digit margin. Only 27 out of a possible 254 counties voted for Hillary Clinton. West Texas, your old home—not counting the anomalous Trans-Pecos region—is known to be particularly Republican. Roberts County, way up at the tip-top of the Panhandle, is even said to be the most pro–Donald Trump county in the country. More than 95 percent of Roberts County supported him in 2016. Clinton got a mere twenty votes there. And the last time a Democrat won a statewide office was in 1994, before the Texanist had a gray hair on his head, constituting a lengthier shutout than that possessed by any state in the Union. The political winds in Texas are indeed blowing quite red these days. [Read more.]( Look here every Monday for the latest from the Texanist, or [peruse his archives here.]( Tomorrow, and every Tuesday, you’ll find a selection from our archives. OUR TOP STORIES [Texas Monthly Recommends: Traveling the Border via the Film The River and the Wall ]( Plus, Tom Morello’s SXSW magic, a cancer researcher celebrated, and hand-painted jean jackets. [Read more.]( [Khalid Said Goodbye to his ‘American Teen’ Days at SXSW on Thursday ]( With just three weeks until his new album, ’Free Spirit,’ the singer from the city of the 915 played the songs that made him a star one last time. [Read more.]( [A Former Lab Rat’s Review of Robert Rodriguez’s Drug-Study Horror Movie Red 11 ]( One of the oldest ideas in the filmmaker’s notebook is based on his real life. And mine. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Trump uses his first veto for the border wall Shortly after a congressional resolution that would block Trump’s national emergency declaration to fund the border wall, the president vetoed it. A dozen Republican senators broke with their party to join the Democrats in passing the resolution authored by Representative Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. Now, the decision ultimately rests with three federal district judges who will determine whether to block the declaration. [Though Trump has criticized the federal courts for being run by “Obama judges,”]( Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts argued that that wasn’t the case earlier this year. "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges," he said. "What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.” UT Austin named in college bribery scandal lawsuit A group of [students who were rejected by schools named in the nationwide college bribery scandal are part of a lawsuit]( that was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last week. One student, who applied but wasn't accepted to UT Austin, scored a 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT and had a 4.65 GPA. The plaintiffs are arguing that schools like UT Austin weren’t transparent about their admissions process and that the students should receive compensation for application fees they paid. The lawsuit could potentially encompass thousands of people. At UT, 50,000 people applied for admission and only 19,482 were accepted. NEWS & POLITICS [UT Has No Records Matching $500,000 “Donated” by Nonprofit Implicated in Bribery Scheme ]( LEIF REIGSTAD Where's the money? [Read more.]( [The Natural Beauty of Roswell]( The Natural Beauty of Roswell]( Discover the natural thrills of Roswell! Check out the five places hikers, campers, day-trippers, and stargazers should visit while in Southeast New Mexico. [Read more](. [University of Houston: Learn more!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Beto O’Rourke Is Running for President: “Our Democracy Has Never Been Under Attack Like It Is Now” ]( ROBERT MOORE [Houston’s Arte Público Press Gets a 40th Birthday Present ]( CAT CARDENAS [Solange’s ‘When I Get Home’ Pays Homage to the Black Rural South ]( DALYAH JONES [Subscribe to Texas Monthly and save!]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Texas Monthly PO Box 1569 Austin, TX 78767 Texas Monthly has sent you this alert because you signed up to receive it either online at texasmonthly.com, at the website of one of our business partners, or when you filled out a reader response card. You may opt-out from Texas Monthly newsletters at any time. 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